


Anti-Anticlimatic

by crore



Series: Love Isn't Easy - svt soulmate au [1]
Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst with a Happy Ending, Cocky Mingyu, Cuddling, Demisexual Wonwoo, Demisexuality, Humour, Kissing, Light Angst, M/M, Non-Idol AU, Overly-Confident Mingyu, Platonic Soulmates, Romantic Soulmates, Roommates, Shy Wonwoo, Soulbonds, Soulmates, Telepathic Bond, oblivious Wonwoo, sweet mingyu
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-05
Updated: 2018-06-05
Packaged: 2019-05-18 10:57:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,811
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14851430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crore/pseuds/crore
Summary: Wonwoo's half tempted to open up google and type in, ‘can i have more than one soulmate’ into the search bar.Inspired by naegahosh's (everyday) you're all up in my head





	Anti-Anticlimatic

He’s taught that at the age of nineteen your body is ready to accept a soulbond.

 

At the age of eighteen, minutes before he turns nineteen, he closes his eyes as the clock strikes midnight, and he’s surrounded by the soothing scents of his candles and his curtains are drawn but the glow of the moon is so bright and the clock must’ve stroked midnight by now so he opens his eyes and-

 

He feels no different.

 

The warm flickering of his candles from his table waves at him and he brings the cupcake to his face, the one Seungkwan gave him that afternoon claiming he was bored the night before and therefore decided to bake a batch of cupcakes, and blows the single flame out.

 

‘How anticlimactic.’ He wonders.

 

In the morning, sunlight seeps through his eyes, and he groans, shifting lazily as he mumbles incoherently into his pillow. Beside him, his phone vibrates and blares out its mind-achingly annoying alarm that makes his eyebrows furrow. He reaches out to silence it, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He squints at his lock screen checking the time and date and a small swoop of happiness pools in his stomach when he realizes it’s Friday and he knows he’s definitely  _ not _ even remotely excited about his birthday today.

 

There’s a weird tug in his gut as he gets off his bike at school.

 

He doesn’t question it.

 

Hansol and Seungcheol are there to greet him, already nudging him on his side asking him whether his limbs felt more withered than normal and whether he needs a cane to walk with now that he is eighteen.

 

There are no comments made about soulbonds.

 

Wonwoo thinks that the reason why no one has asked him about his soulbond is because it’s rare to have found  _ the one _ in your first year or even _ know _ who they are. 

 

He’s sort of pleased about this because he wouldn’t know what he’d do with the rest of his life once he’d actually found his soulmate. They’re supposed to be the only one out of seven billion people that would be suited for you. They’re supposed to be perfect and you’re supposed to fall in love with them and get married. Because that’s just how things were.

 

And perhaps it was due to Wonwoo’s lack of belief that he would ever meet his soulmate within the next few years, that he carelessly ignored the magnetic draw he felt and small waves of happiness he concluded to be himself relishing the fact that he hadn’t been given any homework to do during the weekend.

 

* * *

 

 

He gets through the first two classes fine.

 

When the bell rings, he’s jerked out of his sleeping state, his elbow slipping from under his resting head. A smile replaces his embarrassed scowl when he hears Hansol’s laugh from the door he leans against when he waits for him. Wonwoo’s arm is tugged into Hansol’s grasp and he’s dragged off to the cafeteria, while his complaints and his struggles to escape are ignored by the younger.

 

The nagging  _ happiness  _ that grins behind his head had become somewhat eye-twitching because he’d spent the entire walk immersed in his own thoughts trying to find an explanation to this.

 

Hansol’s babbling about ‘this super hilarious thing that Seungkwan did in math-  _ oh my god’ _ becomes background noise and Wonwoo’s digging frantically through his mind because he doesn’t like not knowing things, and feeling this constant bubblegum sweet  _ feeling  _ is making him want to recoil and hide until he figures it out.

 

It’s just not going away.

 

They meet up with a few members of their group at the table they normally sit at, in the corner of the crowded cafeteria. He can see Seungkwan busy tapping his fingers frantically on his phone with concentration and Seungcheol with his arm around Jeonghan and he doesn’t really realize that his eyes are looking for a certain missing person.

 

“Where’s Soonyoung?” He asks, slipping in the seat Hansol yanks him into.

 

Seungcheol answers with a questioning hum, implying he was probably too engrossed with staring at Jeonghan to have listened to him.

 

“Where’s Soonyoung?” he repeats.

 

Hansol’s already forgotten him, leaning against his soulmate Seungkwan watching him play on his phone and Seungcheol says absentmindedly, “Oh! They received an invitation to perform at this showcase this morning, and they’ve like- basically skipped all their classes,” He pauses to click his tongue displeasingly, and Wonwoo tries his best to push down the feeling of jealousy because  _ Seungcheol _ was told before  _ he _ was. “But they’d be coming over soon to-“

 

Seungcheol gets interrupted by an excited shout and suddenly Wonwoo’s enveloped with warmth and there’s hair that gets in his face and tickles his cheeks and he can’t help but to feel fond as he lets himself get manhandled.

 

Wonwoo could barely hear Hansol’s “Yo!” in the background, somehow muffled as if cotton had filled his ears and he feels so light and yet so heavy like a weight was dropped on his chest  and it’s so difficult to explain and Wonwoo’s never felt like this before so he freezes.

 

When he freezes so does the body whose breath he could feel against his jaw.

 

Wonwoo is unlatched from reality and the air is almost knocked out of him because it’s so dizzy in his head and everything is overflowing; it almost tickles and the surreal feeling was welcomed by his mind but yet was so foreign and new he resisted the urge to recoil.

 

He doesn’t know how long he had disassociated from real life because he’s tethered back in by the tightening of the arms that are hooked around his neck and he manages to place his  cold hands on them because he feels a ringing sense of panic and he knows that it wasn’t  _ him _ who was feeling it.

 

“Soonyoung.” He murmurs.

 

There’s a shuddering breath released from him and Wonwoo can feel them click into place as the whirlwind that had happened comes to a stop and it now feels eerily silent in his head.

 

It was calm in his mind, apart from the nervous twitching that he knew wasn’t his; he could feel Soonyoung’s anxiety buzzing at his own fingertips.

 

“Soonyoung.” He repeats, louder, more grounded.

 

There’s a desperate quiet whine that comes from Soonyoung and it’s almost too silent to hear and the arms around Wonwoo’s neck tighten and he can feel Soonyoung’s cheek press more  firmly against his sharp collarbones.

 

Wonwoo realizes that for someone who’s just met his soulmate, he didn’t feel the intense rush of hot white adoration and love towards Soonyoung. Rather, he felt as if a warm breeze of rightness in his chest and every time he breathed somehow made him feel a little bit lighter. 

 

He wishes he could say the same for Soonyoung.

 

A soulbond’s definition was seen within the word. The binding of one’s soul to another. It also meant that both parties could feel soft vibes of the other, an almost telepathic connection that Wonwoo didn’t know if he should be excited for, or if he would dread it as time passed.

 

His newly formed connection with Soonyoung allowed him to feel the fear and happiness and jittery hesitant-ness and he didn’t know someone could even feel so intensely and as much as Soonyoung did at that moment. The overwhelming rush of emotions made Wonwoo take in a deep breath, smelling the comforting clean scent of Soonyoung and his grip on Soonyoung’s arms grew tight and he gently tried to pry his arms off of his chest.

 

Another gentle wave caressed Wonwoo’s thoughts of trying to comfort Soonyoung and he felt a twist of confusion and hurt from his other half.

 

He almost forgets that he’s in the middle of their school’s humid cafeteria that blasts air too cold for the room and he forgets that he’s sitting on a table with his friends and with his soulmate clinging onto his back until he looks up and everyone but Seungcheol and Jeonghan are looking curiously at them.

 

They divert their gazes when he raises his head to survey the scene, his sharp eyes piercing and there’s a shift in the air and the normal chatter between the cluster rises again.

 

He gets up from the table, his long legs shaking a lot more than he’d be proud of and he almost trips when he turns to leave the chair. His hand slides down Soonyoung’s arm and latches onto his hand, entwining their fingers together naturally, their palms a bit clammy and sticky from the humidity and anxiety in the air.

 

Wonwoo tended to be the type of person that didn’t mind the awkwardness of situations, having experienced them too many times to continue caring. So when he turns to leave the table, he ignores the seven gazes set upon them and he paid no attention to the numerous possible thoughts his friends had, as his own thoughts were spinning in his head.

 

Soonyoung followed him with slight resistance, his worn out sneakers squeaking noisily on the hard tiled floor and he gripped Wonwoo’s hand tightly when they left the cafeteria, with the see-through plastic door swinging behind them.

 

“Hey.” Soonyoung pants, his shorter legs jogging slightly in attempt to keep up with Wonwoo’s persistent dragging to who knows where. “I know I’m like, not  _ ideal  _ but like-“ he had to pause to grab a breath, “Like, I’m your best friend man, please don’t kill me.”

 

Wonwoo tried to smother down a smirk that attempted to rise. Leave it to Soonyoung to jump to the worse possible conclusions. “Please,” Wonwoo’s voice comes out surprisingly stable and evened, “don’t be stupid.”

 

Soonyoung scoffed loudly, he didn’t attempt to hide his frustration. It wasn’t like Soonyoung  _ could  _ anyway, because Wonwoo could feel vibes of annoyance coming off him like a light drizzle that sprinkled on the surface of his mind.

 

Soonyoung could probably feel Wonwoo’s amusement because he says, “It’s not funny” through his gritted teeth and pulls back on Wonwoo arms, forcing the taller one to stop.

 

They stood in the middle of a muddy football field. Wonwoo looked down to see the flecks of dirt and vibrant green grass that stuck onto his gritty converse shoes, not that he minded, but he made a note to clean them out before he got back home.

 

A huff dragged Wonwoo from his plans on how he should wash up his shoes before he got home, and he felt a jerk of pain ripple through his head when Soonyoung snatched his interlocked hand away from Wonwoo’s, and he’s not sure whether the hurtful feeling was coming from him or Soonyoung.

 

Soonyoung’s standing in front of him, cross armed and frowning slightly, and Wonwoo could indescribably feel how hard Soonyoung was trying not to cry.

 

The mist around the field was drifting and the air felt wet and Wonwoo was shivering and so was Soonyoung and he started to open his mouth-

 

“I understand if you don’t want to be my friend anymore.”

 

Wonwoo closed his mouth.

 

He opened it again, feeling like a goldfish trying to catch food in his little tank, “What?” He said.

 

“I understand if you don’t want me to be your soulmate.” Soonyoung choked out.

 

Wonwoo resisted the urge to roll his eyes at Soonyoung’s dramatic tendency but due to the now unfortunate soulbond it wasn’t missed.

 

Soonyoung frowned, “Don’t roll your eyes at me.” He said, his hands rubbing up and down his arms trying to warm them up. There was another pause. “Don’t be stupid.” he continued, repeating what Wonwoo said to him before, “Stop that. You won’t have time to get your jacket for me, I’m not  _ that  _ cold.”

 

“Why wouldn’t I be your soulmate?” Wonwoo asked, ignoring how perceptive Soonyoung was with Wonwoo’s thoughts.

 

This time it was Soonyoung that looked silently at him.

 

Soonyoung stammered, “I-I-I don’t know?” He said, throwing his hands in the air, he began pacing, the mud squelching from under the soles of his sneakers. “Maybe because I’m not a  _ girl  _ or you wanted someone  _ funnier _ or better looking or smart or- I don’t know.” He helplessly finished, the end of his sentence sounding more like a question than an answer.

 

Soonyoung’s sharp eyes snapped upwards meeting Wonwoo’s, “Why are you confused?”

 

Wonwoo shrugged, “It sounds like  _ you _ don’t want to be my soulmate.”

 

“Wha- that’s crazy.”

 

A raised eyebrow was all he got from Wonwoo.

 

Sighing, Soonyoung said, “I turned eighteen only a month before you did, and I just expected this-“ he gestured to Wonwoo, “to take a little longer.”

 

“I just turned eighteen today.” Wonwoo said. “Finding out it’s you I get to spend the rest of my life with isn’t as disappointing you think I might feel.”

 

Wide-eyed, Soonyoung dragged his gaze back from the ground and up to Wonwoo staring at him with disbelief, and there was a red tinge at the ends of his ears. There was a silence that dragged between them that Wonwoo wasn’t minded by at all.

 

“How are you so  _ calm _ ?”

 

* * *

 

 

It’s been a few months after their soulbond was developed and Soonyoung and Wonwoo seemed inseparable. 

 

They hold hands in the corridors and Soonyoung likes to playfully swing them to and fro when they walk to Korean class together. 

 

Wonwoo knows that Soonyoung is incapable of cooking anything but ramen so sometimes he’d make two sets of lunch for him. 

 

He remembers how he surprised Soonyoung with a packed box of ramen on day. When Soonyoung retells the story, he skips the part where he blubbers about how lucky he is and Wonwoo just chuckles and wipes the tears off his face and tells him to ‘stop being so dramatic and eat the noodles Soonyoung.’

 

It’s been three months and Wonwoo was content. 

 

Both of them were settled against each other on Wonwoo’s bed on a Wednesday afternoon. 

 

They’re both on their phones scrolling through different sites. Occasionally Soonyoung would nudge Wonwoo from the game he’d be occupied with to get his opinion on different shirts and pants. 

 

It’s comfortable for Wonwoo to be able to sit silently next to someone and just enjoy their presence. He can feel the warm gentle waves of Soonyoung’s aura floating in his mind, and it’s soothing and reassuring and Wonwoo’s content to sit next to Soonyoung for the rest of his life. 

 

The vibes that Wonwoo rides are interrupted by a sudden wave of nervousness but he pushes it away and continues to play the game on his phone because he’s level 13 and he’s about to beat his high score and- 

 

“Hey.” 

 

His eyes dart away from his phone screen at the sound of Soonyoung’s voice and he frantically looks back at the screen. He’s dead and there’s a game over sign that floats over his character and he can see that the checkmark for his high score was so close but Soonyoung feels hesitant through the bond so he doesn’t really care. 

 

“What?” 

 

Soonyoung’s already looking intently at Wonwoo when he turns to face him, and they’re shoulder to shoulder and thigh to thigh. He’s slightly intimidated by the strong gaze that Soonyoung has set on him, and his eyes look apprehensive yet brave. 

 

He notices how Soonyoung’s eyes dart down to look at his lips and he feels himself nibbling onto them because there’s a change in the air and Wonwoo’s eyes shy away to look down at the Soonyoung’s hand that’s been placed on top of his.

 

Looking back at Soonyoung with a slight twinge of confusion clouding his mind he realises how close he is to Soonyoung and how he can see the small blemishes on him and the hairs on his eyebrow and how his eyes seem darker than usual. 

 

“What are you doing?” He asks, in such a small voice that if Soonyoung hadn’t been as close as he was now, he wouldn’t have heard Wonwoo. 

 

There’s a shrug of a shoulder that’s given to Wonwoo and he squints at Soonyoung’s silent reply. 

 

He unconsciously gulps when Soonyoung leans even closer, and he marks how Soonyoung licks his lips and suddenly he feels Soonyoung’s lips against his.

 

Wonwoo doesn’t know what to do, so when he recovers from the shock of having someone’s lips on his, he realises that Soonyoung was lightly trying to coax Wonwoo to respond as he moves slowly against his lips. 

 

To Wonwoo, kissing Soonyoung feels like what kissing really is. Kissing Soonyoung was like putting his lips against someone else’s lips and moving them together. When he reads his novels, they described kissing to be a phenomenon and yet Wonwoo didn’t feel much of what the books have told him. It felt warm and he can feel the slightly chapped lips on Soonyoung because the weather has been dry lately. He can feel how Soonyoung’s hand has moved against Wonwoo’s neck and he can hear the quietness of the house and the crickets outside because it’s getting dark. 

 

He doesn’t think that there’s something wrong with him because he doesn’t feel like there’s sparks behind his closed lids or that there isn’t any rush of stars or fireflies or anything that he’s read when people describe the time they first kiss their soulmate. 

 

To Wonwoo it feels normal and almost mundane but he doesn’t mind it so he sits still for Soonyoung to leave soft pecks against his lips and leans his forehead against Soonyoung’s when they part. 

 

They sit like that for a few moments, seconds ticking by without them noticing. Wonwoo enjoys the gleaming warmth that comes from Soonyoung and he sends fond vibes back, still unsure of how he feels about kissing Soonyoung. 

 

Behind the drapes of Wonwoo’s curtains, the light no longer shines through and instead he could see the blurry shape of the lampost outside his house. 

 

Soonyoung draws in a shuddering breath and whispers “Okay.” before leaning back and away from Wonwoo with red ears. 

 

Still sitting on the bed, Wonwoo watches as Soonyoung looks underneath Wonwoo’s bed sheets for his phone and how he stands up with shaky legs and grasps his bag. 

 

“Do you want to stay for dinner?” Wonwoo asks, his cheeks rosy. 

 

Soonyoung clears his throat, and meets Wonwoo’s eyes for the first time since they’ve kissed, “Mum’s expecting me back and it’s a school night so…” He trails off and Wonwoo’s not worried if Soonyoung was mad at him because he can feel the enclosed energetic excitement from Soonyoung underneath all his embarrassment. 

 

“Ok.” Wonwoo replies, “I’ll see you tomorrow?” 

 

“Yeah.” Soonyoung smiles, his eyes forming crescents. “See you tomorrow.” He waves at Wonwoo one more time before shutting the bedroom door silently. There’s a shuffle of feet and Wonwoo can hear Soonyoung’s footfalls and he continues to sit on his bed until he can hear the click of the front door being closed. 

 

Wonwoo moves to get up from his bed and his arms over his head but it’s interrupted by the excited yell that comes from outside his house and there’s a loud uplifting laughter that he can hear. He can’t help but to grin widely at Soonyoung’s happiness and he’s pleased to know that he can feel Soonyoung’s delight until he falls asleep that night. 

 

The years go by quickly after that. 

 

Wonwoo graduates with Soonyoung two years after finding out their soulmates and they don’t hesitate moving in together when the same university accepts them both into their individual courses.

 

It’s their second year of university and Wonwoo’s standing under the dripping sheltered bus stop, the raindrops drumming softly against the greyed plastic. He stands with his phone in his hand, the cracked screen gleaming brightly as the sky gets darker. Soonyoung’s text tells him that he’s making ramen for when Wonwoo gets back and Wonwoo doesn’t reply because he knows that Soonyoung can feel his thankful aura. Instead he looks out peacefully and contently, waiting for the shuttle bus’ loud engine to break the silence in the air.  

 

A shy hand taps his shoulder. Wonwoo flinches away automatically and he could hear a rush of “I’m sorry”s coming from the person behind him. He turns and his eyes widen and he wrinkles his nose because he’s not used to  _ taller _ people. 

 

The obnoxiously tall  _ guy  _ flaps his arms nervously, fluttering and barely touching Wonwoo because he almost slipped when he jerked away. He doesn’t know why the alien feeling of fond amusement rolls through him; he doesn’t know why he isn’t rolling his eyes instead. 

 

Soonyoung’s confusion is quiet in Wonwoo’s mind, almost like a tiny question mark floating around with everything else.

 

Wonwoo must feel sorry for the taller individual because he’s instinctively grasping onto the stranger’s fluttering hands that wave anxiously in the air and gently lowers them away from him, looking timidly at the wet concrete that almost sparkles under the dim lighting of the single bulb they’re under. 

 

When he looks down and feels a wave of heat wash over his cheeks he quietly mumbles “It’s ok.” in response.

 

He doesn’t stop hearing his blood rush through his ears and it’s overwhelmingly grown now. It hits him hard enough for him to squeeze his eyes tightly shut but then it’s gone as if it never happened. 

 

Everything seems to move in slow motion when he tries to grasp his surroundings and the annoyingly tall guy is saying  _ something  _ but Wonwoo can’t seem to hear what. 

 

Wonwoo blinks. 

 

“-But, uh, my name’s Mingyu by the way… just so you know.” He chuckles hesitantly and carefully, watching Wonwoo like he was about to make a run for it. 

 

Mingyu cocks his head sideways, his neatly trimmed, styled, spectacularly beautiful hair falling over his inquisitive eyes. Perhaps it was because the only response Wonwoo seemed to be capable of, was a choking questioning hum that he dragged from his throat. 

 

He must find Wonwoo fascinating or something because he grins toothily, his sharp white canines suddenly visible and says, “You know- don’t worry. You, like, look really hot so I’m really happy it’s you.” 

 

Now Wonwoo felt like he was going into shock. It reminded him of how he felt when he missed the step down by his English building that morning, the adrenaline that races through his blood vessels and he takes a sharp intake of the cold frosty air that makes his throat even dryer.

 

He didn’t know how he looked then and he thinks he probably missed a vital piece of information when he spaced out because he’s never been more flabbergasted or confused. 

 

Mingyu’s eyes turn to crescents when he finds himself unable to speak again. He takes the phone in Wonwoo’s hand, his fingers curling around his own and it leaves a chilling tingle that runs down his spine.

 

“Look, I can feel you’re pretty shocked  _ and  _ you’re tired,” there’s a pause when he starts typing at Wonwoo’s phone, “so I’m just gonna put my number in…” He presses the dial icon and there’s a buzz that emits from the inside of his coat. “And now I’ve also got your number!” He says cheerily.  

 

Wonwoo notices that Mingyu smiles a lot. 

 

He almost doesn’t hear his bus approach because he’s too preoccupied watching him. 

 

Wonwoo learns that Mingyu is nice enough to guide him onto the bus, telling him that he’ll text him sometime tonight and to get home safely. He ends everything with a wink and for the entirety of the ride back home Wonwoo’s stuck in a daze. 

 

He barely remembers getting off the bus and he doesn’t know how he suddenly finds himself at the front door of his and Soonyoung’s apartment. 

 

“Hey.” 

 

The door is swept open and Soonyoung must have felt Wonwoo’s distress because he’s yanked to a hug and pulled inside the warmth of their home. He can smell ramen wafting over to the sofa he’ll be brought over to. 

 

He’s curled into Soonyoung’s side, he feels his hair being combed by Soonyoung’s fingers and he closes his eyes for a moment to calm himself down. He breathes at the same time Soonyoung’s chest rises and falls. 

 

He’s pulled out of the mental state he’s caught up in when Soonyoung asks in a questioning tone, “So what happened? You were feeling so much.” 

 

Wonwoo shrugged. “I don't know.” He replies quietly, his bottom lip jutting out. 

 

“Do you want to talk about it?” 

 

Wonwoo shakes his head and burrows closer into Soonyoung closing his eyes. 

 

They sit quietly like that for a few minutes until Soonyoung remembers that there’s ramen sitting in the kitchen that has probably gone cold by now. He pushes Wonwoo off of him and tells him that he’s going to reheat the noodles. 

 

Soonyoung’s already in the kitchen when the phone nestled in Wonwoo’s coat vibrates, and he instinctively pulls it out, his heart jumping when the screen reads  _ ‘A message from Mingyu’.  _ Glancing cautiously over at the kitchen where he can hear Soonyoung singing one of SHINee’s songs, he swipes open his home screen, his shaky hands hovering over the messaging app. 

 

Wonwoo gives in and taps the message open, and Mingyu’s telling him how happy he feels to have met him and that he’d like to hang out with him soon and that he can feel the vibes Wonwoo’s sending over and he hopes Wonwoo can figure whatever problem he is facing. 

 

Regardless to say, Wonwoo’s getting really sick of this soulbond business.

 

It’s frustrating for him because it seems as if his soul _ mates _ read him better than he can read himself. 

 

But Wonwoo definitely can’t hide the warm tingly feeling that pours over his body again, and he hates it because it’s not  _ Soonyoung _ , it’s some guy he met by the bus stop. He hates that he loves it and he hates that he most definitely wants to see him again, no matter how  _ wrong _ it is. 

 

_ Mingyu typing... _

 

Mingyu: i can tell you want to

 

If Wonwoo wasn’t Wonwoo, he would have found Mingyu’s text creepy, and of course, Mingyu must’ve sensed it because in less than a few seconds Wonwoo receives another text message. 

 

Mingyu: haha i know that sounded creepy but i rly want to see you again 

 

His heart feels like it’s beating out of his chest, and it’s annoying how Mingyu can make him feel. He tries to bury his feelings of guiltiness as deep as possible, because  _ Soonyoung _ .

 

Mingyu: dont feel embarrassed!!!! ur cute lets meet up tmr

 

Mingyu: lets have dinner!!!!!!! 

 

He brings the collar of his shirt up to his face, so his grin is covered. 

 

_ Wonwoo typing… _

 

Wonwoo: ok

 

He stares at his phone and there are butterflies in his stomach, and he’s nervous and afraid at the same time and he’s guilty and it feels so wrong but at the same time it feels so incredibly right. 

 

He’s half tempted to open up google and type in, ‘can i have more than one soulmate’ into the search bar but he’s jolted out of his daydreamy state when Soonyoung bursts back into the living room with two steaming bowls of ramen. He talks animatedly about what happened in the dance studio this afternoon, and Wonwoo switches off and shoves his phone hastily into his pocket and jumps to his feet. 

 

Soonyoung walks back into the kitchen to grab chopsticks and Wonwoo settles down in his seat, his mind buzzing like when his legs falls asleep and are numb and he has to shake it out but there’s tiny pinpricks that poke incessantly at him in a troublesome way.

 

He’s especially on edge tonight because when he doesn’t notice that Soonyoung comes up from behind him and lays his head on his shoulder when he puts his chopsticks down and the feeling deep in his chest that he’s trying so hard to hide always rises. 

 

But, the thing about Wonwoo is that the only relationship he’s even been in is this one with Soonyoung. 

 

Before Soonyoung, there was nobody, so Wonwoo doesn’t know if it’s weird that they barely kiss and make out and have sex and all of those things that he  _ expected _ them to do. 

 

Then again, he doesn’t know  _ what  _ to expect and he doesn’t know what’s  _ normal _ and he doesn’t know  _ anything _ .

 

He waits for Soonyoung to finish texting on his phone. He can tell it makes him a bubbly happy fondness and he enjoys the feeling all too much from is soulmate to disrupt it. 

 

Once Soonyoung’s vibes calm down into a more neutral aura Wonwoo opens his mouth to speak. 

 

“Soonyoung…” he starts. 

 

“Mm?” 

 

“Do you think it’s weird that we don’t have sex?” 

 

Soonyoung chokes. 

 

Whilst Soonyoung recovers, coughing with his eyes watering. Wonwoo ponders on the fact that he’s never felt a great deal of  _ want _ for Soonyoung. 

 

He’s never minded it when Soonyoung kisses him, he always thought it felt ok but it was sometimes tedious and his lips would feel tired after a while and he always wondered how Soonyoung could enjoy it so much. He doesn’t mind that they haven’t kissed in the past year either, and he’s never really wondered why or noticed until now. 

 

“I didn’t think you would have wanted to.” 

 

Wonwoo stirs the noodles around in his bowl, shrugging. “Do you not like me like that or something?” 

 

Soonyoung knows him well enough to know that he isn’t offended by the fact and he replies, “Of course there are times where I thought about it, but like, every time I kiss you, you don’t seem to be into it.” 

 

Wonwoo’s eyebrows furrow deeply, and he takes a breath and finally looks up to Soonyoung. He sees him watching him warily, with worried eyes and his chopsticks are down which means that it’s going to be a serious conversation. 

 

“But I kiss back?” 

 

The slight rise in his tone indicates that he’s confused and he’s honestly kind of lost. 

 

Soonyoung laughs, it’s not mean and it’s not teasing and Wonwoo feels a bit safer. He tries to grasp at Soonyoung’s soulbond with him to ensure that Soonyoung really is fine with it. 

 

He is. 

 

“Just because you kiss back doesn’t mean you want me in  _ that  _ way.” Soonyoung replies. There’s an underlying meaning to ‘ _ that way’ _ that Wonwoo can’t quite pinpoint so he brushes it off. Soonyoung picks his chopsticks up again and continues to eat and Wonwoo relaxes. 

 

“Oh.” 

 

There’s a pause that’s filled with the sound of Soonyoung slurping down his noodles. 

 

“Is that ok?” 

 

He watches as Soonyoung smiles and Wonwoo can feel his fondness radiating in his mind when he replies, “Yeah.” 

 

The next day he stands serenely under a lampost. There’s a quiet chatter from the people around him and the streets are pleasantly quiet tonight. 

 

Wonwoo doesn’t know why he’s nervous and he mentally thanks Soonyoung for sending him a sedative aura that calms his nerves. 

 

Soonyoung doesn’t know that Wonwoo is waiting to meet up with Mingyu. Soonyoung doesn’t know that Wonwoo can sense another  _ something _ in his mind. And Soonyoung doesn’t know that Wonwoo thinks he might  _ like _ Mingyu. 

 

To explain something as intricate as a soulbond was, in Wonwoo’s opinion, almost as hard as the time he tried to learn quantum physics by himself in his first year of university. He gave up after three hours and went to sleep instead. 

 

But right now, he feels a sort of tug in the furthest corner of his crowded mind, he feels it in the most quiet and peaceful part of his head and he so desperately wants to grasp at the loose string and pull on it. He reckons the stray string was his and Mingyu’s very newly formed soulbond. 

 

He swivels his head to look down the street and watches who he hopes to be Mingyu stride towards him with his long legs and long coat. Mingyu raises his hand and waves at Wonwoo. His mouth naturally quirks up but he doesn’t notice and he waves back hesitantly. 

 

When Mingyu stops in front of Wonwoo a bit to close for his liking because his heart feels like it’s going to beat out of his chest and says, “You look good.” Wonwoo feels like he wants to throw something at his stupid face because why is he so flustered. 

 

It still annoys Wonwoo that he has to crane his head up slightly to meet Mingyu’s eyes. He’s used to looking down at Soonyoung so he suddenly feels very small under Mingyu’s gaze. 

 

“Thanks.” Wonwoo mumbles. “You too.” 

 

Mingyu beams at reaches out to grasp Wonwoo’s hand that was busy fidgeting with the edge of his sweater. “Great! Let’s go!” 

 

Dinner with Mingyu was surprisingly  _ nerve wracking _ . 

 

_ Nerve wracking  _ \- as in Wonwoo’s entire body was jittery, and he didn’t know if he stood too close or too far from Mingyu, and he wasn’t sure if he wanted to hold his hand or if  _ he _ was the one who should have pulled out Mingyu’s chair and not the other way round because he was the older one. 

 

It made Wonwoo uncomfortable and unfamiliar but everytime Mingyu laughed at something he said or when the dimple on his left cheek appeared when he grinned made him feel a happy kind of nervous. 

 

Wonwoo’s never felt like this before. 

 

He’s never felt anxious to hold somebody's hand from across the small table they sat at. He holds Soonyoung’s hand all the time and he’s never felt awkward or anxious or jittery. 

 

When Mingyu talks about how he volunteers at the animal shelter on Thursday nights at the local shelter, Wonwoo eyes the hand that isn’t gesturing in the air, the one that lies, by itself, lonely on the thick white tablecloth. He doesn’t do it on purpose but he tunes Mingyu out, his talking turning into background noise when he thinks loudly to himself on how he would execute his mission for  _ holding Mingyu’s hand.  _

 

He’s deeply immersed in the well rehearsed plan in his head, because all he really needs to do is grab Mingyu’s hand and entwine the fingers, and he jolts himself out of his thoughts and his eyes snap up to meet Mingyu’s. 

 

He sees his stupid smirk and the annoyingly cute wrinkle at his nose and he feels  _ warmth _ covering his hand, and he doesn’t dare to look down and check and see if he actually- 

 

“Your vibes are really strong.” 

 

“Huh?” Wonwoo manages to force out. 

 

Mingyu snickers, “Your vibes- thoughts, they’re loud.” 

 

“I can’t feel yours.” 

 

He shrugs, “You need to give me some space up there.” He tells Wonwoo, his eyes looking pointedly at Wonwoo’s forehead. “I can feel myself trying to squeeze in but it’s like, it’s too loud for me right now.” 

 

There’s a wave of guilt that rushes through Wonwoo. 

 

Mingyu squeezes his hand. “Don’t feel guilty,” he said, “I’m not mad.” 

 

Though Wonwoo answered with a stiff nod, he knew that his guilt didn’t come from the fact that his and Mingyu’s soulbond is left incomplete because he simply couldn’t let the younger in, but because there’s already a resident in Wonwoo’s head and it’s Soonyoung. It’s worse because Wonwoo knows that if he lets his mind relax and breathe, Mingyu could easily slip through and Wonwoo wouldn’t need to be so enclosed all the time. 

 

But he can’t. 

 

Not yet at least. 

 

“Hey, do you wanna get dessert?” Mingyu says. 

 

“Whatever you want.”

 

“Let’s get the cake.” 

 

After that, Wonwoo doesn’t notice how much time he’s spent with Mingyu.

 

* * *

 

He doesn’t notice that Mingyu begins to wait from his outside his lecture halls or that he’ll bring him his favourite tea from the small corner shop when he knows he’ll bump into him or he’ll sometimes pick him up with his roommates car in the morning if he knows Wonwoo needs to get to places. 

 

His phone vibrates against the wooden table of the library of the university he studies at. He’s in the middle of writing an achingly long essay for his professor the next morning. Wonwoo doesn’t normally leave things until the last minute but with Mingyu around, he spends most of his time planning on what he wanted to eat with Mingyu rather than his assignments. 

 

Surprisingly, Wonwoo isn’t annoyed. Instead he’s humoured by the fact that one singular person could distract him from his studies. Though he won’t leave his shared home with Soonyoung when he’s reading the latest novel set for the upcoming lecture when Mingyu nags him- the essays are so mind-numbingly boring, Wonwoo  _ can’t help  _ but to think about Mingyu. 

 

He swipes his phone open and opens up the messaging app. 

 

Mingyu: where r u ?

 

_ Mingyu typing…  _

 

Mingyu: i miss u 

 

Wonwoo’s thumbs hovers over the bright screen. 

 

Wonwoo: im in the library 

 

Wonwoo: i have to write an essay 

 

He watches patiently at the small dots that indicate Mingyu’s typing. 

 

Mingyu: did u eat yet??? 

 

Wonwoo: no

 

Mingyu: kkkkk

 

_ Mingyu left the chat  _

 

Wonwoo stares at his screen and tries his best to reach out to Mingyu’s soulbond but he hasn’t let him in yet. 

 

Instead, he feels Soonyoung’s glowing happiness and latches on to that. He drifts within Soonyoung’s emotions and wonders what he’s up to whilst looking around at the dim-lighted library. There aren’t many people left and some are getting up to leave. Wonwoo glances down at the watch Soonyoung gifted him three years ago, and sees that it’s almost 10 o’clock. 

 

Wonwoo rolls his shoulders and gets back to typing, Soonyoung’s vibes causing him to smile softly despite his almost overwhelming tiredness. 

 

It hasn’t been thirty minutes since Mingyu texted him but Wonwoo’s exhausted. 

 

He’s resting his elbow on the table, his palm pressed against his cheek and he ignores the slight digging of his glasses on his face. He battles with his inner mind because he doesn’t have Soonyoung’s aura to latch onto because he’s probably asleep, and he unwillingly gives in because his eyes slowly droop closed in front of his bright laptop screen. 

 

When Wonwoo mumbles incoherently out of his sleep, he notices that there’s a warm hand against his cheek and that his glasses are gently being tugged out of his face and the indent left from the frames are rubbed delicately. 

 

He doesn’t want to open his eyes and to meet the glaringly bright screen of his laptop so grumbles and shifts so his face falls on the side and his shielded with whoever was next to him. 

 

There’s a chuckle from above and his hair is being ruffled fondly and from behind his eyelids he knows that his screen is being lowered and that’s when he decides that he’s brave enough to open his eyes. 

 

“Hey.” 

 

Wonwoo needed to blink a few times, and the loss of his glasses meant that everything was blurrier than usual but he knows the voice so he replies. 

 

“What are you doing here?” His head lolls against his shoulder lazily and he looks up at Mingyu. 

 

“I bought you food.” 

 

There’s a rustle of plastic but Wonwoo doesn’t have enough energy to check. So instead he frowns and his lower lip juts out, “Why? It’s too late, go home Gyu.” 

 

A chair gets pulled out from next to him, and Mingyu slides into it, an arm coming around Wonwoo, pulling him to his chest. Wonwoo doesn’t resist and simply melts into Mingyu’s warmth. He sighs contently. 

 

“You told me you didn’t have dinner yet.” Mingyu says this almost accusingly, and Wonwoo looks up to meet his eyes. 

 

“You didn’t have to buy me anything.” 

 

“I wanted to though.” 

 

Wonwoo freezes and a blush blossoms from across his cheeks. But Mingyu doesn’t notice because he’s too busy using the other hand to take the plastic container out of the bag. 

 

He struggles to open the lid and when Wonwoo tries to help with his sweater paws Mingyu slaps his hands away and stubbornly continues his attempt to open the box. 

 

“You bought me dumplings?” It makes Wonwoo lift his head up in wonder and his heart swell. 

 

“Well… yeah?” Mingyu says hesitantly. “Why? You don’t like them?” 

 

“No, no, no!” He replies hurriedly, “I’m just surprised.” 

 

Wonwoo settles back into Mingyu’s side, watching as he takes the disposable chopsticks out of the bag. 

 

He’s shy when Mingyu picks up a dumpling from the container and brings it towards Wonwoo’s mouth. He hesitantly parts his lips and Mingyu feeds it to him. 

 

The nervousness inside of his washes away once he tastes the dumpling. As a university students, it’s rare to eat something so delicious so Wonwoo lets out a hum of delight. 

 

“Good?” Mingyu asks hoarsely. 

 

Wonwoo nods, and opens his mouth once he’s finished chewing, waiting for Mingyu to feed him again. 

 

The sky would be almost pitch black if the moon didn’t shine so brightly. 

 

Their icy breath mingled in the air when they breathed through their mouths after they stepped out of the university library, giggling at each other’s expressions of child-like wonder. 

 

It was almost two in the morning when they stumble out. Wonwoo had finished his essay with as minimal of a distraction Mingyu could manage to be. Admittedly, it took longer than usual because Mingyu kept stroking through his short brown locks. 

 

Walking to the carpack together, Wonwoo’s arm tucked into Mingyu’s pocket, their hands entwined around the warm pack. The car park was deserted and abandoned, a single black car waited lonely underneath the flickering streetlight. 

 

There’s a blast of dry hot air that hits Wonwoo’s face when Mingyu turns the key to the ignition and he closes his eyes to bask in the sudden heat. 

 

The knob is turned down by Mingyu with the explanation that, ‘It’ll dry out your face Wonwoo-ah’ 

 

He’s too burned out and almost broken down at this point so he responds with a huff and buries his face in his sweater. 

 

Apart from Mingyu’s quiet humming, the ride is silent. The only reason Wonwoo was in the warm cocoon of Mingyu’s roomate’s car was because he was dragged from the bus stop. 

 

If only Mingyu wasn’t so stubborn he’d be sitting in the back of an empty bus, teeth chattering rather than curled up in the spare blanket Mingyu keeps in his roommates car. In his defence, he tried his best to remain waiting at the bus stop but it’s difficult to when your soulmate intends on driving you as if it were his life’s goal. 

 

“You’re shivering.” 

 

No response. 

 

“You’re not seriously going to take the bus at this hour.” 

 

He can hear heavy footfalls from behind him and there’s an arm pulling him back. He would have fallen backwards if it weren’t from Mingyu’s scarf-cushioned chest. 

 

“You’ll catch a cold.”

 

“I’ll be fine.” He struggles to get out of Mingyu’s hold. 

 

“You won’t be.” 

 

Mingyu’s grasp on him tightens and he can feel his feet lifting off the ground and he’s being  _ carried _ away from the bus stop. 

 

This wasn’t the first time he realised how much taller Mingyu was compared to him but also how much he despised it. 

 

He wriggles desperately and Mingyu joyfully laughs, loud in his ear. It echoes as he walks by the side of library. 

 

Eventually, Wonwoo is released from Mingyu’s caged arms and he’s fitted against the crook against his shoulder until he slides his hand to relieve his numbing fingers. 

 

He’s jolted from his haze when the car jolts to a stop and Mingyu twists to watch as Wonwoo swiveling his head to see the door to his apartment beside the road their parked beside. 

 

“Are you gonna sleep now?” 

 

Mingyu’s question makes his head snap back to Mingyu. 

 

“Probably.” Wonwoo answers, “Are you going to go home?” 

 

“Yeah…” Mingyu sighs and ruffles his own hair tiredly, making it look more disheveled than it was five minutes ago. 

 

Wonwoo gulps and says, “I’m sorry you had to drive me back home.” He almost whispers. 

 

“It’s fine.” Mingyu whispers back, with a small crook of his mouth. “I wanted to see you anyway.” 

 

“I wouldn’t want to bother you.”

 

“I want you to bother me.” 

 

Wonwoo didn’t notice that his eyes were drawn to the fading black seats of the car until he felt a tap against his cheekbone that made him look back up at Mingyu, startled. 

 

He leans back a bit so the finger doesn’t touch him anymore, and he thinks he sees a disappointed glimmer in Mingyu’s eye. 

 

With a wrinkle of his nose to battle his yawn away, he says with a hopefully steady voice, “I should probably go up now…” There’s a beat, “My roomate’s probably wondering where I am.” 

 

“Isn’t he asleep?” 

 

“He woke up a few minutes ago.” 

 

Wonwoo can tell that Mingyu’s taken aback with befuddlement  but he’s turned to open the door with fumbling fingers that he can’t see Mingyu’s expression and due to his frustrating inability to accept Mingyu’s soulbond, he can’t feel what he’s thinking either. 

 

He’s turned to head up the steps but before he reaches, there’s a hand that grabs his, and Wonwoo’s starting to get sick of Mingyu’s ability to grapple him because it’s so frustratingly annoying. 

 

“Hey- wait.” 

 

He turns again and makes no move to separate their hands. 

 

“I just…” Mingyu trails off as he steps closer to Wonwoo. 

 

Wonwoo creases his eyebrows together and looks questioningly at Mingyu. 

 

He can feel the warm huffs of air from Mingyu against his nose and lips. He doesn’t realise he’s leaning into Mingyu and their lips are almost touching and they’re both hovering nervously without touching each other and Wonwoo intakes a breath and grabs Mingyu’s arm to drag him down to his height because he’s really cold and he wants to sleep and he kind of just want to kiss- 

 

“Wonwoo!” 

 

Mingyu gets shoved away when Wonwoo sees Soonyoung in the expensive robe he gave him last christmas and red chilled cheeks, he ignores the strangled yelp that emits from Mingyu. 

 

“I need you to come up now and fix the sink!” 

 

Soonyoung’s yelling and Mingyu’s groaning and Wonwoo suddenly feels very overwhelmed. 

 

He decides he needs to escape the situation as soon as possible and forces out a rushed “Bye, sorry, thanks.” to Mingyu before nodding almost hysterically at Soonyoung’s continued yelling about how he woke up and all he could hear was the constant drip drip dripping of water droplets. 

 

Wonwoo slams the door in his hastiness to escape and unknowingly leaves Soonyoung and Mingyu alone on the streets. 

 

There’s a long silence between the pair. 

 

“Who are you?” Soonyoung asks, a little breathless and eyes too excited, considering the time of night it was. 

 

“Mingyu.” Mingyu replies. “Who are you?” 

 

“Soonyoung, Wonwoo’s soulmate.” 

 

Mingyu’s brain stops working for the next several seconds. 

 

“Ah.” He manages to say. 

 

He doesn’t succeed in getting out any words between them because Soonyoung’s thanking him for driving Wonwoo home and that he seems like a  _ cool dude  _ and he hopes that they can see each other again before rushing in and shutting the front door closed. 

 

Mingyu’s left standing on the side of the road at two in the morning with his roommates car behind him and many questions unanswered. 

 

* * *

 

 

The next time Wonwoo sees Mingyu he’s standing outside of a small baby blue house which was placed conveniently next to Wonwoo and Mingyu’s favourite ramen restaurant. 

 

He raises his hand to knock against the newly painted black door, squinting because the sun is out despite his hair constantly being tourseled by the wind that sweeps by occasionally. 

 

The door opens and Wonwoo is meeted with a boy he’s never met that he assumes to be one of Mingyu’s roommates. 

 

He looks at Wonwoo expectantly so he shifts tensely and tentatively asks, “Is Mingyu home?”

 

There’s a quirk of the other man's mouth, and Wonwoo notices victoriously that he’s taller than the latter. 

 

“Yeah.” The other guy says. He opens the door wider to let Wonwoo in before yelling, “MINGYU. YOUR BOYFRIENDS HERE.”

 

“HE ISN’T MY BOYFRIEND.”

 

Wonwoo looks up at the top of the staircase and watches as Mingyu bounds down, skipping two steps at a time with his enviously long legs and he almost skids across the floor to land on Wonwoo’s chest. He throws his weight on Wonwoo and he can feel the excitedness through the slightly accepted soulbond like bricks being thrown through the window. 

 

He has to take a few staggering steps back from the shock. The feeling was gone as fast as it came. 

 

Mingyu pulls away with furrowed brows, “Sorry did I scare you?” He asks, obviously feeling Wonwoo’s deduction. 

 

“No.” He answers, allowing Mingyu to interweave their fingers together. 

 

“I’ll take you to my room.” 

 

“Be careful children.” He hears the guy that let him in say, “Use protection.” 

 

He knows from the tone of his voice that he’s joking but Wonwoo can’t help the heat in his cheeks that rise from his suggestive comment. 

 

“Bye Junhui!” Mingyu declares as he starts to lead Wonwoo up the staircase.

 

They reach the top rather quickly, and turn to head down the hallway of the second floor. 

 

“Sorry about that.” Mingyu said. “Junhui’s like that when he’s not with Minghao.”

 

Wonwoo hums low in his throat. “Minghao?” 

 

“My other roommate.” He stops at a white door, close to the end of the hallway and shuffles his feet nervously, “So, this is my room.” He introduces timidly as he swings the door open. 

 

Wonwoo can see the white duvetted bed with surprise on how well made it was and there was a aroma diffuser on the bedside table next to a petite lamp that made the room smell nice and fresh. The desk was scattered with various coloured books and paper and there were many grey post-its on the wall with doodles and messy writing across the light warm yellow wall. 

 

“It’s nice.” Wonwoo said genuinely. 

 

“Thanks.” 

 

They make their way to sit on Mingyu’s bed, disrupting the tidiness. 

 

“I met your roommate yesterday too.” 

 

Wonwoo vaguely remembers extracting himself from the situation he found himself upon late last night, before collapsing on the bed. Even Soonyoung couldn’t wake him up to fix the sink that continued to drip throughout the night apparently. 

 

“Oh.” Wonwoo replies. “Sorry about running away.” 

 

Mingyu stayed silent and Wonwoo paid it no mind and instead readjusted his position so he felt more comfortable. 

 

He looks up to see Mingyu staring intensely at him. 

 

He cocks his head. 

 

The empty stare gets replaced by the uplift of the corners of Mingyu’s eyes as he notices Wonwoo’s confused state. 

 

There’s a grin that spreads over Mingyu’s face and Wonwoo watches with widened eyes, leaning back slightly when he watches Mingyu tilt towards Wonwoo, his hands coming down to he was on his hands and knees approaching Wonwoo. 

 

“Wha-” Wonwoo asked, before his breath was knocked out of him for the second time in a day and Mingyu’s sprawled over him. He can feel his hot breath against his check and the large hands that curve back against Wonwoo’s lying back. 

 

He sputters when he feels soft lips press against the spot next to his adams apple, and he almost claws at Mingyu’s back in surprise. 

 

Mingyu continues to nuzzle at the crook of Wonwoo’s neck and Wonwoo lets him because he enjoys the proximity and the feeling he’s never felt before when Soonyoung hugs him. Suddenly, Wonwoo had the strong urge to pull Mingyu even closer and return the favour by trailing his lips down the column of his tanned long throat. 

 

It’s different and new and unfamiliar and he doesn’t dwell over it long because suddenly Mingyu speaks into his jaw, “Why didn’t you tell me about your soulmate?” 

 

“Soonyoung?” Wonwoo inquires. “Did he tell you that last night before you left?” 

 

“Yeah.” 

 

Mingyu pulled away from the warmth of Wonwoo’s neck and instead he raises himself on his elbows beside Wonwoo’s head. 

 

There’s a pause and Mingyu searches frantically through their soulbond. “Why didn’t you tell me?” He asks again. 

 

“Because I didn’t want you to know.” Wonwoo said plainly. 

 

“You don’t want me to be your soulmate?” Mingyu’s voice almost breaks when he says the last few words. 

 

“What? No?” Wonwoo said. 

 

“Then why?” 

 

Wonwoo looks at Mingyu. “I don’t know.” 

 

“Do you love me?”

 

The question is said with a underlying begging and pleading tone from Mingyu that makes Wonwoo scared because he knows he doesn’t want to lose Mingyu, ever. 

 

Wonwoo gulps from the pressure of answering honestly so he says, “I think so.” 

 

“I think I think so too.” Mingyu said. 

 

And he bends down to kiss Wonwoo. 

 

From what Wonwoo remembers, his first kiss with Soonyoung wasn’t particularly excited but Mingyu’s lips against his felt like falling out of an airplane, because fire sparked in the veins of his heart, and his stomach tickles and his lungs feel like they’re filled with helium because Wonwoo feels so light he forgets that they’re kissing on the bed of Mingyu’s shared home. 

 

“Wow.” 

 

“Yeah.” Mingyu says breathlessly. “Wow.”

 

They don’t know how long they’ve been kissing for but Wonwoo knows that he enjoys this much more than when Soonyoung kisses him and pecks him because there’s a fresh pleasant shock along his spine when Mingyu kisses him that he’s never felt before. 

 

“That’s… different.” Wonwoo muses out loud when Mingyu shifts to fall on his side so he’s no longer hovering over Wonwoo. 

 

Without thinking Wonwoo shifts to bury himself into Mingyu’s side and Mingyu throws a arm over his shoulder and draws him closer. He pecks him on the lips. 

 

“It’s different?” 

 

“Yeah.” 

 

“Cool.” 

 

Wonwoo takes time to breathe Mingyu in and they lie there in silent for a while. 

 

He slowly realises that with every breath he takes, he feels Mingyu more and more in his head and then Mingyu’s everywhere in his mind and he can feel his beaming warm happiness that washes over him like how he steps outside to meet the sun with his eyes closed. 

 

Sighing contently, he cuddles closer to Mingyu. 

 

“Hey,” Mingyu whispers, his eyes drawn to the slow rotation of the fan above, “did you- can you feel me?” 

 

“Yeah.” 

 

Mingyu can hear the smile in Wonwoo’s voice but also the shoot of pride in the bond they now share. 

 

They fall doze off accidently, and are both awoken with a jump by the loud slam of a door from the level below and what Wonwoo believes is Junhui’s enthusiastic yell and Minghao’s answer that doesn’t seem to be in korean. 

 

Mingyu chuckled, “They’re like that when they see each other.” He said. “Junhui especially, he tends to get a bit loud when he’s excited.” 

 

Wonwoo’s eyes drift closed once again, but by the lull of Mingyu’s thumb circling on his shoulder. 

 

“Hey.” 

 

He opens his eyes bearily at Mingyu. 

 

“Are you going to tell your soulmate about us?” 

 

“He probably already knows.” Wonwoo answers calmly. He searches through his head and pushes past the new Mingyu vibes that he still needs to get used to and he reaches his and Sooyoung's bond and he can tell that Soonyoung currently feels content wherever he is. 

 

“He’s not mad?” 

 

“No.” Wonwoo says, “Should he be?” 

 

“Probably, I don’t know?” Wonwoo wanted to laugh at how hysterical Mingyu seemed to get. 

 

Wonwoo shrugged “You’re different from him.” 

 

“I’m different...?” 

 

“Yeah.” 

 

“What?” 

 

“What?” 

 

“How am I different?” 

 

Wonwoo doesn’t speak for a long time because he has to think. 

 

He knows that he loves Soonyoung and that he’d never want to leave Soonyoung ever and he knows that he likes Soonyoung’s hugs and when he combs his fingers through his hair after a hard day. 

 

But at the same time, he knows that when he cuddles Soonyoung, it’s different from when he’s pressed against Mingyu because he wants to do things to Mingyu and wants Mingyu to do things to him. 

 

He knows this because when Mingyu took off his shirt when he met up with Wonwoo after his morning run at the library to switch it to a new one last weekend, Wonwoo’s throat became dry and it took a lot of effort to drag his eyes from Mingyu’s toned chest and abdomen. 

 

When Soonyoung takes his shirt off he sees Soonyoung as Soonyoung without a shirt and it definitely doesn’t want to make him reach over and touch him. 

 

“Because I want to  _ do  _ things to you.”

 

When Mingyu chuckles almost darkly and pulls Wonwoo closer to him. Wonwoo’s face was buried in the side of Mingyu’s neck, where he can feel the rough prickles of Mingyu’s stubble against the bridge of his nose and he rubs against it.

 

“Things like what?” 

 

Mingyu’s voice seemed to go an octave lower and Wonwoo resisted the urge to shudder because he could feel what exactly Mingyu wanted to do to  _ him _ through the soulbond. 

 

Wonwoo tries to be nonchalant when he says, “Things I wouldn’t do to Soonyoung.” 

 

He tries to go back into the crook of Mingyu’s neck but he’s pulled away, and the sexual tension between them fades. “Things you wouldn’t do to Soonyoung?” Mingyu’s voice returns back to his normal slightly-adorable voice, “Like what?” 

 

“I dunno.” Wonwoo shrugs and shifting to lie sideways so he faced Mingyu. “I’ve never kissed anyone like  _ that  _ before.”

 

“Have you kissed Soonyoung?” 

 

“Yeah.” 

 

“Did you like it?” 

 

“It was okay.” 

 

“So I’m better.” 

 

It was more of a statement rather than a question but Wonwoo still answers. 

 

“Yeah.” 

 

Mingyu hums contently and also shifts to mirror Wonwoo. He also places a hand on Wonwoo’s head and pets the dark locks. He smirks triumphantly when he can tell Wonwoo enjoys the contact. 

 

“What  _ have  _ you done with Soonyoung then?” 

 

“There isn’t a lot to talk about.”

 

“Tell me.” Mingyu urged. 

 

“Well,” Wonwoo thinks, “we haven’t had sex.” 

 

Mingyu chokes, and gets up to cough. Wonwoo stays where he is and watches the performance. 

 

“You haven’t had sex? Not even with Soonyoung?” Mingyu needed to take in a shuddering breath, “Not with anyone? ” 

 

“No.” Wonwoo frowns, “Is that bad?” 

 

“No-No, just not what I was expecting.” 

 

“What did you expect?” 

 

“That you and Soonyoung would have eventually… you know…”

 

He lies back down. 

 

“Have you?” Wonwoo asks. 

 

“Well, yeah.” Mingyu replies, and he manages to look abashed when he says it. 

 

There’s a comfortable blanket of silence that lies on top of them for a few minutes, and Wonwoo can deduce that Mingyu is deep in thought. 

 

“So…” Mingyu starts again, and Wonwoo didn’t even realise he closed his eyes again, “You haven’t done  _ anything _ .” 

 

“Anything what?” 

 

“Anything  _ sexual _ .” Mingyu whispers the word like it was taboo. 

 

Wonwoo wants to laugh about how concerned and distressed Mingyu seemed to be, as if it would have been impossible to keep his hands off Soonyoung for all those years.

 

Mingyu must’ve been intune with Wonwoo’s vibes because he interrupts his thoughts by saying, “It’s impossible for me to keep my hands off you right now.” 

 

Wonwoo gulps but not anxiously. 

 

“I’ve only ever kissed Soonyoung.” He answers, ignoring Mingyu’s statement because he’s too scared to approach it. His eyes unwillingly dart down to glance at Mingyu’s whilst he licks his lips before continuing, spotting Mingyu’s smug expression. He has the urge to scold him but he discovers that he kind of  _ likes _ the cocky side of Mingyu. 

 

“We’ve only kissed a few times but nothing sexual.” 

 

Wonwoo feels like a kid trying to convince their parent that they didn’t take a biscuit out of the cookie jar. 

 

“And he’s never gotten angry because of it?” 

 

“Soonyoung?” Wonwoo was taken aback, “No way. He’s never- I don’t think he wants me like that either.” 

 

Mingyu hums, his hands dancing over the collar of Wonwoo’s shirt and Wonwoo tries his best to not twitch away because Mingyu’s finger’s leave tingles across his collarbone. 

 

“I think-” Wonwoo starts and there’s something blocking his throat and suddenly everything feels like sandpaper because he’s terrified, “I think I want you like that though.” 

 

Mingyu’s adam's apple bobs when he swallows, “Yeah?” He rasps. 

 

Wonwoo answers by scooting closer to Mingyu and covering his lips with his own. Mingyu’s hand comes up to cup Wonwoo’s face. 

 

Mingyu seems to be more brave because when he trails his lips down Wonwoo’s chin, nudging his jaw and Wonwoo happily obliges and tilts his head back. 

 

He gasps when Mingyu nips him gently and playfully, but he arches his back and Mingyu rearranges himself so he’s caging Wonwoo between his arms again and he rolls his body against Wonwoo and Wonwoo sucks in a choked breath. 

 

“Is this ok?” Mingyu asks, his voice muffled because Wonwoo can feel the movement of his lips and his hot breath against his julgar. 

 

Wonwoo nods and squeezes his eyes tightly shut because he can feel the rise of the sounds he wants to make. 

 

“Do you like this?” Mingyu purrs after a few minutes of sucking and licking on Wonwoo’s neck. He grinds his hips downwards daringly and Wonwoo couldn’t stop the whine that rises upwards and he guesses Mingyu likes the sounds Wonwoo makes because he’s rolls his hips down again and Wonwoo moans. 

 

He doesn’t know why but his hands are suddenly pulling onto Mingyu’s shirt desperately. Mingyu gets up on his knees and pulls his shirt upwards and over his head and Wonwoo blushes so deeply that he can feel it down to his toes. 

 

When Mingyu comes back down Wonwoo drags Mingyu back up to him and mouths on his shoulder, his fingers teasingly trailing down his toned abdomen. 

 

Mingyu decides that it wasn’t fair if he was the most exposed one out of the two of them because he’s bringing Wonwoo’s shirt up and extracts himself from Wonwoo’s grasp and kisses his stomach lovingly. 

 

“Oh my god.” 

 

Wonwoo pushes Mingyu off him so violently that he almost topples off the bed and he’s tugging his shirt back down and is suddenly so aware of the red marks littered across his neck. 

 

He sees a tall skinny guy who’s hand covers his face.

 

“Minghao!” Mingyu snaps, Wonwoo discovers that Mingyu has no shame when it comes to his shirtless body. “Knock please!” 

 

“I didn’t know!” Minghao yells through his hand, “I didn’t know you kids would be doing- doing  _ sins _ .” 

 

“Don’t be so dramatic.” Mingyu says, and he crawls off the bed to grab the shirt he threw on the floor in the haste to get it off. “You and Junhui are eleven times worse and us are.” 

 

Minghao sighs and peeks past his fingers to check if the two inhabitants of the room where decent. 

 

“Do you guys want us to order lunch for you?” 

 

Mingyu turns to look at Wonwoo he’s still sat frozen on the bed. Wonwoo nods. 

 

“Yeah.” 

 

“Okay.” Minghao sighs again. “I’ll tell Junhui then.” He backs out of the room, and while he shuts the door behind him he shouts, “Use protection!” 

 

“Don’t worry!” Mingyu shouts back, “Junhui already warned us!” 

 

Wonwoo watches the entire playful exchange with anxiety because he doesn’t really know what he’s done and what he’s feeling and what came over his body and so when Mingyu comes back onto the bed the lets him scoot Wonwoo back so he’s leaning against his chest because he can probably feel the jitteriness and shock lingering in his body. 

 

“You good?” Mingyu asks. 

 

“You guys seem close.” Wonwoo says. 

 

“Hmm, we are.” 

 

Wonwoo gradually relaxes against Mingyu. 

 

The blinds rattle quietly against the wall. The glass window is ajar and open, the cool autumn breeze sweeping through the gaps which conducts a shiver from Mingyu, but Wonwoo rubs his hand up and down Mingyu’s arm. 

 

“You’re loud.” 

 

Wonwoo slaps Mingyu’s arm, embarrassed, “Shut up.” 

 

Breathy laughs can be heard on the otherside of Wonwoo and Soonyoung’s thin front door. 

 

This was confusing. 

 

Wonwoo knew Soonyoung’s laugh like the back of his hand, a high pitched crescendo that was like the metal windchimes that they have hung from the small plant cluttered balcony they own, despite the fact that the plants were practically only Wonwoo’s because Soonyoung was useless at looking after things, even himself. 

 

_ That  _ laugh wasn’t Soonyoung laugh.

 

He opens the door, thankful that he fixed the creaks in the hinges. 

 

There was another  _ somebody _ sitting on the couch, almost sitting on Soonyoung, their arms wrapped around his neck, their face hidden in it’s crook, nestled there and the person looked incredibly comfortable and soft and Wonwoo can’t possibly be mad. 

 

He’s not angry. 

 

Soonyoung must’ve felt him through the soulbond because though Wonwoo didn’t make a sound, there was a very distinct twitch that ran through Soonyoung’s arm and down his hand because it suddenly clutched the back of the shirt of the person beside him. 

 

The laugh and giggles were cut off, “What?” 

 

“Hey.” Wonwoo greets ironically.

 

There’s a wrinkle in between Soonyoung’s brows and his eyes dart across Wonwoo’s blank expression. 

 

The person on Soonyoung decides to push himself off of Soonyoung, and shift to turn to look at Wonwoo. 

 

He’s silent. 

 

Though Wonwoo is curious, he decides to look at Soonyoung, he knows he’ll have plenty of time to look at him thoroughly later anyway. 

 

Much like Soonyoung, he grasps his metaphorical hand on the thread that connects him and Soonyoung together, and it kind of sizzles in his head, and tickles like the sneeze you anticipate that never comes. 

 

Soonyoung’s scared and afraid and terrified and in love. 

 

Wonwoo’s confused and surprised and irritated and in love. 

 

“What?” Soonyoung’s voice drags him out of his head, and his eyes focus back on his soulmates. 

 

“What.” 

 

“You’re-”

 

“Yeah.” 

 

“You didn’t tell me.” 

 

“Neither did you.”

 

“Fair enough.”

 

“What the fuck’s happening?” 

 

The voice of the stranger that sits atop their cushions is frowning his head shifting from Wonwoo to Soonyoung, His black hair flops against his forehead cutely, and there’s a pout on his face when he looks at Soonyoung. The expression changes drastically when he looks at Wonwoo with a glint of pity and cautiousness. 

 

“What’s your name?” Wonwoo asks. 

 

“Lee.” Lee replies. “Lee Jihoon.” Lee Jihoon finishes. 

 

He’s kind of stony and tough and Wonwoo can feels his immovable force and it reminds him of the tall large rocks that loom over him when he walks on hiking trails. 

 

He can tell why Soonyoung loves him. 

 

“This is Wonwoo.” Soonyoung says. “He’s my soulmate.” 

 

Jihoon freezes and his back snaps straight and stiff. 

 

Soonyoung and Wonwoo have been bonded so long that they know how to read their thoughts too well. Soonyoung better than Wonwoo.

 

“Hey- but it’s cool!” Soonyoung says. 

 

“It’s cool?” Jihoon grits.

 

Wonwoo didn’t know whether he was allowed to leave but there’s a tug on the string that connects Soonyoung and him that forces him to stay put. 

 

“I have a-” Wonwoo stops because the stare of Jihoon intimidates him and threatens him and he can feel Soonyoung laughing at his emotions. “A Mingyu.” 

 

“A Mingyu…” Jihoon says. 

 

“Oh! Mingyu!” Soonyoung says. He remembers the man who brought Wonwoo home that one time. 

 

“Yeah Mingyu.” Wonwoo clarifies. 

 

“Who’s Mingyu?” Jihoon questions harshly. 

 

“He’s like, bonded with someone else.” Soonyoung says helpfully, “He’s in love with someone.” 

 

The bluntness of Soonyoung’s word embarrass Wonwoo enough for red to cloud his cheeks and his eyes to dark to look at the worn out sneakers he believes is too old and that he should probably go buy new ones next weekend. 

 

“Do you love Soonyoung?” 

 

Jihoon’s question makes Wonwoo head snap back up, “Yeah?” 

 

“So you’re cheating on Mingyu.” 

 

Wonwoo’s taken aback. “No?” 

 

“No?” Jihoon mimics. “Because it seems to me that you both just can’t be satisfied with just one soulmate.” 

 

“Jihoon-” Soonyoung frantically starts. 

 

“Don’t Jihoon me.” He snaps. “I know your type. You’re just like him, you know that Soonyoung?” 

 

“What the fuck Jihoon, don’t compare me to him.” 

 

Jihoon gets up to leave and Wonwoo can feel the tiny cracks in Soonyoung’s big heart. So he raises his voice and says, “Can you calm down for five seconds?” 

 

There are unshed tears in Jihoon’s eyes and he guesses he feels as bad as Soonyoung feels right now, and Wonwoo’s glad that he’s gathered enough courage to muster up the sentence, “Stop being stupid, sit back down and listen to Soonyoung.” He says, before he chickens out he manages to squeeze in the statement, “I’m going to my room to read. Try not to be too loud.” 

 

He trudges over to his room and hears the door click behind him as he closes it. 

 

Wonwoo doesn’t leave his room at all that night. He can hear muffled shouts and cries from his soulmate and Jihoon but he feels that everything will turn out fine eventually. He was only frustrated that love was a difficult concept to grasp but at the same time, he didn’t have a place to judge. 

 

The bright screen of his phone lights up with a buzz, and Wonwoo’s attention from the novel flickers. He (not very)  reluctantly puts his book down to reply to Mingyu’s text. 

 

Mingyu: u seem ok

 

_ Wonwoo typing… _

 

Wonwoo: is that a question or a statement?

 

Mingyu: can i say both?

 

_ Mingyu typing… _

 

Mingyu: so soonyoung knows right……..

 

Mingyu: and hes fine with it??????

 

Wonwoo: yeah, he already knew i didn’t have to tell him

 

Mingyu: does this mean i can finally come make out with you at your house now

 

Wonwoo: i was thinking you could finally cook food for me 

 

Mingyu: mmm… i could do both and stay the night

 

Wonwoo’s thumbs hovered over the keypad. 

 

Mingyu: thats not to forward right

 

Mingyu: because i DONT have to stay the night if ure not ready yet

 

Mingyu: im totally fine with waiting

 

Mingyu: id wait forever for u 

 

Wonwoo: you’re a sap 

 

Mingyu: does this mean i can 

 

Wonwoo: depends how well you can cook for me

 

Mingyu: oh i can do more than cook for you babe 

 

Wonwoo: be quiet im reading

 

Mingyu: ok babe

 

* * *

The next morning Wonwoo wakes up enveloped with warmth and a ticklish itchy feeling on his neck.

 

He groans, and his arm curls around the warm pillow, twisting so he’s latched on the side, his legs twisting and curling. 

 

“Morning.” A voice whispers, their warm breath caressing his ear. 

 

Wonwoo swats away and buries deeper into his cocoon of  _ Mingyu _ . 

 

He jerks. 

 

Why is Mingyu sleeping beside him?

 

He quickly untangles himself and scoots away, his hair sticking in various angles and his eyes still foggy from sleep. 

 

The first thing Wonwoo does is check whether his shirt is still on and whether his boxers are still around his waist and not elsewhere. 

 

After his frenzy of checking his body, he looks up and stares at Mingyu’s beaming face his arm resting under his head. 

 

“What are you doing here?” Wonwoo questions suspiciously. 

 

“What were you doing?” Mingyu replies, ignoring the question. 

 

“I was  _ checking _ .”

 

“Checking for what?” Teased Mingyu. 

 

Wonwoo narrows his eyes and flops back onto the bed, but turns to face away from Mingyu. 

 

He hears Mingyu let out a frustrated whine and the bed shifts under him. 

 

“I’m sorry baby…” Mingyu murmurs, pecking short kisses on Wonwoo’s bare shoulder, “you just look so cute in the morning.” 

 

Wonwoo sighs and thinks to himself that it’s too early to be blushing from Mingyu’s terms of endearments. Rotating himself back around, looking up at Mingyu’s raised face. “Don’t tease me.” He says, his hand coming up to pet at Mingyu’s messy bed hair. “I never know what to say.” 

 

“But that’s what makes is so adorable!” Mingyu exclaims, the tone of his voice rising up and his shoves Wonwoo’s arm away from his face to pinch at his cheeks playfully. 

 

“Mingyu!” Wonwoo laughs, “Get off me before I kick you out!” 

 

“But I just got here.” 

 

This time it’s Mingyu that rests upon Wonwoo’s chest, his eyes looking bigger than usual as he looks upwards, pouting at him. 

 

Wonwoo shifts into a more comfortable position and his hands come up to play with Mingyu’s ears. 

 

“Can you tell me how you got into my bed now Mingyu?” Wonwoo asks. 

 

“Soonyoung let me in.” 

 

Mingyu snuggles into Wonwoo. 

 

There’s a comfortable silence between the two for a while until Wonwoo breaks it. 

 

“Did you meet Jihoon too?” 

 

“Jihoon?” 

 

“Soonyoung’s soulmate.” 

 

“The short angry looking boy?” 

 

Wonwoo chortles, and outside he can hear Soonyoung’s ringing laughter, clearly he picked up what Wonwoo heard through the bond. 

 

“Yeah.” He breathes. 

 

“He seemed nice,” Mingyu hummed, “but even though he looks cute I’m still scared of him.” 

 

“You think he looks cute?” 

 

“Hmm…” There was a beat. “But not as cute as you!” He squeals and he rises again, his thighs bracketing Wonwoo’s chest as he sits on top of him. 

 

He places his hands beside Wonwoo’s face and bends down to kiss him sweetly. 

 

Between the pecks Mingyu peppers over his face Wonwoo says, “I thought you said you couldn’t wait to make out with me.” 

 

“This is just the warm up babe.” 

 

“Mhmm, ok.” Wonwoo gasps when Mingyu sucks on his earlobe. 

 

Just when Wonwoo started to squirm from the teasing, Mingyu lifts himself back up and jumps out of bed leaving Wonwoo to whimper and twist frustratedly. 

 

“Come on.” Mingyu says, acting innocent. “Let’s make breakfast.” 

 

“Mingyu.” Wonwoo growls. 

 

“I’m going!” He sings in reply. 

 

With his hair damp from his shower, Wonwoo slinks into the living room. He’s never felt so…  so… so-

 

“Sexually frustrated?” Soonyoung guesses from his place on the couch. 

 

He grumbles in response. 

 

“By the way?” Soonyoung says, “Your boyfriend cooks better than you.” 

 

This time Wonwoo replies with his middle finger. 

 

He meets Jihoon sitting on the island table in the kitchen, chatting with Mingyu. He looks a lot happier from when Wonwoo last saw him but in his defence, last night was quite emotional for him and Soonyoung. 

 

Still, although Wonwoo managed to find the guts to yell at Jihoon, he doesn’t have a source of adrenaline to draw from so he’s embarrassed, ashamed and a bit scared of Soonyoung’s other soulmate.

 

Ducking his head when he walks past, he reaches up the shelves to find his tea bags and doesn’t even spare Mingyu a glance. 

 

“Sorry about Wonwoo,” He hears Mingyu tell Jihoon. “He’s a bit embarrassed for shouting at you yesterday. I actually think he’s quite…” Mingyu paused for dramatic effect, “scared of you.” he whispers. 

 

Wonwoo’s ears burned with heat and when he shuffles to find the hot water he makes sure Mingyu knows he’s glaring at him. 

 

“Sorry baby.” Mingyu creeps from behind him soundlessly. 

 

Wonwoo stubbornly refuses to look at Mingyu. 

 

Sadly for him, he and Mingyu had dedicated a lot of time exploring each other and so when Mingyu nips playfully at the junction between his neck and shoulder, he knows how sensitive he was there. 

 

Reluctantly, he turns to face Mingyu, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to resist him for much longer. His head was turned downwards to watch himself stir his cup of morning tea. 

 

“Is this because of the Jihoon thing?” Mingyu asks, his hands coming to rest at Wonwoo’s waist, “Or because I didn’t kiss you properly this morning?” 

 

Wonwoo hates how Mingyu asks him to say the most shameful phrases, and it makes Wonwoo curl into the ground because he’s never even felt this way to anyone but Mingyu. 

 

His soulmate cups his jaw and nudges him to look up at him, “I love you.” He says sweetly. 

 

“Where’s my breakfast?” Wonwoo demands pushing his urge to lick at Mingyu’s collarbones as far as he possibly could. 

 

He knows his attempt to push his obvious sexual attraction was futile because Mingyu gives him a cocky smirk and to make things worse, Soonyoung whistles under his breath as he plays his mobile game beside Jihoon. 

 

“Not until you tell me what I want to hear.” 

 

Yet again, Soonyoung decides that that was the best time to shout, “Call him ‘daddy’ Won.” 

 

Wonwoo stutters in response and Mingyu chokes. 

 

“He’s not  _ you, _ Soonyoung.” Jihoon fires back at his boyfriend. 

 

Soonyoung suddenly goes quiet. 

 

“What do you want to hear?” Wonwoo asks once they’ve both recovered from Soonyoung’s outburst. 

 

“Tell me you love me.” Mingyu urges. 

 

“I love you.” 

 

“I love you too.” 

**Author's Note:**

> hi! this is the possible start of a collection of other works, the next one being Jihoons story on how he meets Soonyoung (already in the writing stage) please feel free to give me feedback or ideas!


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